Skip nav
PeoriaQuad CitiesRockfordUrbana Advancing Nursing Leadership College DirectoryContact UsCollege of Nursing Home
UIC - University of Illinois at ChicagoCollege of Nursing
 
   
   
 

Heather Sipsma, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Women, Children and Family Health Science

NURS 846
UIC College of Nursing
845 South Damen Avenue (MC 802)
Chicago, IL 60612

Phone: 312.355.2718
Fax: 312.996.8871
Email: sipsmah@uic.edu

Education and Training

  • Johns Hopkins University, BA, 2004
  • Yale University, PhD, 2010
    National Institutes of Mental Health T32 Predoctoral Fellowship (T32MH020031)
    Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Training in HIV/AIDS, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) at Yale University
  • Yale University, Postdoctoral Training, 2010-2012
    Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI) at Yale University

Research

Heather Sipsma, PhD is an epidemiologist in the Department of Women, Children and Family Health Science in the UIC College of Nursing.  Dr. Sipsma’s research explores sociobehavioral context of reproductive health, both domestically and globally.  She has examined psychosocial predictors of sexual risk behaviors among adolescents, including pregnancy desire among both adolescent females and males, and the influence of future expectations on risk behaviors in adolescence.  She also studies ways to understand and promote breastfeeding, particularly among adolescents and in low-income countries, and ways gender equality may impact health, including mental health, contraception use, sexual risk behavior, and healthcare utilization.

Areas of Interest

  • Adolescent pregnancy and parenting

  • Adolescent reproductive health
  • Breastfeeding
  • Gender equality and women’s empowerment
  • Global health

Publications

  • Sipsma H, Arnold A, Niccolai L, Gordon D, Magriples U, Kershaw T. (in press). Pregnancy desire among a sample of young couples expecting a baby. Perspectives of Sexual and Reproductive Health.

  • Sipsma HL, Curry LA, Kakoma JB, Linnander EL, Bradley EH. (2012). Identifying characteristics associated with performing recommended practices in maternal and newborn care among health facilities in Rwanda: A cross-sectional study. Human Resources for Health; 10:13.

  • Sipsma HL, Bradley EH, Chen PG. (2012). Lactational amenorrhea as a contraceptive strategy in Niger. Maternal and Child Health Journal; [Epub ahead of print].

  • Sipsma HL, Chen PG, Ofori-Atta A, Ilozumba UO, Karfo K, Bradley EH. (2012). Female genital cutting: current practices and beliefs in western Africa. Bulletin of the World Health Organization; 90:120-127.

  • Sipsma HL, Ickovics JR, Lin H, Kershaw TS. (2012). Future expectations among adolescents: a latent class analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology; 50:169-181.

  • Sipsma HL, Ickovics JR, Lewis JB, Ethier KA, Kershaw TS. (2011). Adolescent pregnancy desire and pregnancy incidence. Women's Health Issues; 21:110-116.

  • Sipsma H, Biello KB, Cole-Lewis H, Kershaw T. (2010). Like father, like son: The intergenerational cycle of adolescent fatherhood. American Journal of Public Health; 100: 517-524.